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Immunosuppressants in Organ Transplantation

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Pediatric Pharmacotherapy

Part of the book series: Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology ((HEP,volume 261))

Abstract

The goal of immunosuppressive therapy post-transplantation in pediatric renal transplant recipients is to prevent acute and chronic rejection while minimizing drug side effects. Most therapies alter immune response mechanisms but are not immunologically specific, and a careful balance is required to find the dose that prevents rejection of the graft while minimizing the risks of overimmunosuppression leading to infection and cancer. While this chapter because of space constraints focuses on immunosuppressive therapy in pediatric renal transplant recipients, many aspects can be applied on pediatric recipients of other solid organ transplants such as the liver and heart. The major maintenance immunosuppressive agents currently used in various combination regimens are tacrolimus, cyclosporine, mycophenolate mofetil, azathioprine, everolimus, sirolimus, and glucocorticoids (steroids). Although data from adult renal transplantation trials are used to help guide management decisions in pediatric patients, immunosuppressive therapy in pediatric renal transplant recipients often must be modified because of the unique dosage requirements and clinical effects of these agents in children, including their impact on growth and development. The optimal immunosuppressive therapy post-transplant is not established. The goal remains to find the best combination of immunosuppressive agents that optimizes allograft survival by preventing acute rejection while limiting drug toxicities.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics I, University Children’s Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany

    Burkhard Tönshoff

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  1. Burkhard Tönshoff
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Correspondence to Burkhard Tönshoff .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Hospital for Children and Adolescents Center of Paediatric Research Department of Women and Child Health, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany

    Wieland Kiess

  2. Dr. Margarete Fischer-Bosch-Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Clinical Pharmacology, University Hospital Tüebingen, Tüebingen, Germany, Robert Bosch Gesellschaft fuer medizinische Forschung mbH, Stuttgart, Germany

    Matthias Schwab

  3. Children’s Hospital, University of Basel Children’s Hospital, Basel, Switzerland

    Johannes van den Anker

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Tönshoff, B. (2019). Immunosuppressants in Organ Transplantation. In: Kiess, W., Schwab, M., van den Anker, J. (eds) Pediatric Pharmacotherapy . Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology, vol 261. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/164_2019_331

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